Fat has long been applied to dog foods or incorporated into them for purposes of flavor as well as nutrition. Fat, however, as typically applied, has a number of characteristics which limit its usefulness as a palatant. Among these are its tendency to cause grease-staining of packaging and its high caloric content at levels of use which provide optimum palatability. A number of fatty-material-containing palatability enhancers have been developed by the art which are more effective than the typical fat coatings based on tallow.
Among the fatty-material-containing palatability enhancers are those which modify or otherwise specially prepare a fatty material. For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,857,968 and 3,968,255, Haas and Lugay disclose that a lypolytic and proteolytic enzyme treatment of fat and protein provides a composition which is flavorful to dogs. The composition of Haas and Lugay is preferably incorporated into the food by spraying it on as a liquid emulsion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,797 to C. J. Cante et al there is disclosed a dog food flavor which can comprise an enzymatic beef digest, fat and a product prepared by the above disclosures of Haas and Lugay. According to this disclosure, all components are separately prepared, mixed and applied to the surface of the dog food as a liquid.
Greenberg et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,023, disclosed a liquid palatability enhancer based on a blend of specific oils having the readily solidifiable components removed. The resulting product is said to be rich in flavorful free fatty acids. The product is applied to a pet food in the liquid state.
Various of these fatty-material-containing palatability enhancers can provide improvements in the acceptability of dry dog foods. However, it would be desirable to have an enhancer which would provide a greater flavor impact for the dogs. It would be especially desirable to provide such an enhancer in a form which reduced the odor as perceived by humans of the materials found flavorful or desirably aromatic to dogs.
The object of the invention is therefore an improved pet food palatability enhancer.
Another object of the invention is a process for preparing the enhancer.
A further object of the invention is a pet food containing the enhancer.